KARAWANE for the rights of refugees and migrants in Germany
http://www.thecaravan.org
Deutsch: KARAWANE Pressekonferenz am Freitag, den 16.Dezember 2005.
https://thevoiceforum.org/node/336
Wuppertal, 13.12.2005
Invitation to the Caravan Press Conference on Friday, 16th December 2005, 1.00 pm in Wuppertal
Place: AZ Wuppertal, Markomannenstr. 3, 42105 Wuppertal
Topics:, local and nationwide activities of the Caravan for the Rights of Refugees and Migrants
1) Discussions on Residenzpflicht-abolition
2) Experiences of the NRW Caravan-Tour before the German election 2005
3) Fight against Deportations
We invite you to the press conference of the Caravan-Seminar from 14th to 18th December in Wuppertal
"Experience & Future – Struggle & Solidarity for Refugees in Germany”
With activists from the Caravan for the Rights of Refugees and Migrants:
- Sunny Omwenyeke, The VOICE Refugee Forum (Bremen)
- Delal Günaydin, AGIF – Föderation der Arbeitsimmigranten aus der Türkei Wuppertal)
- Akubuo Chukwudi, The VOICE Refugee Forum (Mecklenburg/Vorpommern)
In the summers of 1998 and 2002 the Caravan for the Rights of Refugees and Migrants travelled through forty German cities with the slogans: “We have no vote but a voice”, “Asylum is a human right and not a privilege” and: “We are here because you destroy our countries” to encounter the racist German election campaign. Since, this network of refugee and migrant organisation has been fighting continuously against the German system of exclusion, isolation and deportation of refugees and migrant.
The experiences of the caravan in this longterm fight shall be evaluated in a four day seminar in Wuppertal and perspectives will be developped for the future – a future under the auspices of harder political conditions in times of war against terror and immigration.
Germans leading role in the fight against refugees in a European context is shown by Otto Schilys projects of camps in the north african desert to keep out immigrants and by the German deportation politics. For refugees this system of deportation, exclusion and isolation means : psychological torture and destruction.
A very special form of exclusion is the so-called "Residenzpflicht" for asylum seekers that exists since 1982 in Germany as the only European country. That law restricts the movement of asylum seekers to one single district.
The Caravan for the Rights of Refugees and Migrants and allied groups like The VOICE Refugee Forum have demanded human rights for refugees for many years. Since the International Caravan Congress in Jena not only demonstrations and public programs have been organised against the Residenzpflicht but refugees themselves are exercicing civil disobedience against this law that violates their natural right for free movement. Free movement is a human right but the German law makes refugees to criminals if they move really freely.
This is why human rights activists like Akubuo Chukwudi, Sunny Omwenyeke and Cornelius Yufanyi refuse to pay a fine for exercicing their right of free movement - even if this refusal may lead to prison. One year ago, in december 2005, Sunny Omwenyeke had to go to jail, now Cornelius Yufanyi is threatened by two weaks of imprisonment. But their struggle continues, both have together with their lawyers already taken their plight against the “Residenzpflicht” to the European Court for Human Rights.
In the press conference Sunny Omwenyeke will give a report on their legal and political struggle for the abolition of this racist segregatory law. He and Akubuo Chukwudi will also inform about legal cases on Residenzpflicht against refugees and asylum seekers that were dropped due to the campaigns and the protests.
There will also be contributions as a basis for discussion on the following topics:
Delal Günaydin will report on local successful actions of the Caravan for the Rights of refugees and migrants, as for example during the Caravan-Tour in NRW of July and August 2005.
Akubuo Chukwudi will present new nationwide network information and actions against deportation and criminalisation of refugees. He will specify on the example of the Togolese people from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern who are threatened by deportation on 20th December 2005 by the state authority for asylum and refugee issues in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Yours Sincerely,
Karawane – seminar co-ordination in Wuppertal
Press Kontakt: Araz Ardehali Barani 0175 7411895
Signed Osaren Igbinoba und Araz Ardehali Barani
Karawane für die Rechte der Flüchtlinge und MigrantInnen
und The VOICE Refugee Forum
Signed Osaren Igbinoba und Araz Ardehali Barani
for The Caravan for the Rights of Refugees and Migrants and The VOICE Refugee Forum
Mehr info:
http://www.thecaravan.org
und
http://www.thevoiceforum.org